Perris, California

A Novel

By: Rachel Stark

Narrated by: Alex McKenna

“A glorious debut...it will rouse your deepest well of empathy.” —Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

“This novel will live alongside classics of young womanhood.” —Susan Straight, author of bestsellers Mecca and In the Country of Women

In this unforgettable debut novel, twenty-seven-year-old Tessa, pregnant with her third child and living in a trailer on her mother-in-law’s property, encounters the woman she used to love—leading Tessa to question the very foundations of the life she’s built

Abandoned first by her father and then her mother, as a girl Tessa is left to live with her abusive stepfather and stepbrother. She survives by finding reserves of strength in herself, and by the surprising, transformative love of another teenage girl, Mel, who sees through Tessa’s tough exterior to the vulnerable, scarred, loving woman inside. When she suddenly loses Mel, too, Tessa stumbles into a saving grace of a different kind with Henry and his mama, Angie, becoming a mother and finding herself in a familial existence that somehow carries her into adulthood—until the day she runs into Mel, who has just returned to Perris after years away.

Filled with violence, tragedy, tenderness, longing, and the unvarnished courage of women living in a mostly unseen America, Perris, California is the utterly gripping story of Tessa’s journey from trauma to healing, and it introduces us to one of the most indelible female characters since Bone Boatwright in Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina or Ruth Langmore in Ozark.©2024 Rachel Stark (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“An emotionally charged portrait of two women’s painful family histories and their uneasy reunion in California’s Inland Empire . . . Fans of Dorothy Allison or Pam Houston ought to seek this out.”—Publishers Weekly

“An extraordinary debut that insists that we can—and must—mend each other.”—Kirkus (starred review)

“Some stories grab you, shake you to the core, and never let you go, demanding you to stare into the heart of human depravity and resilience. Other stories capture you by stealth, quiet beauty unfolding in ordinary moments: a conversation ’round a table, the unexpected smile of a neighbor, the wind on your face as you run. Harrowing, evocative, and deeply moving, Perris, California does both. Rachel Stark reminds us that in the smallest acts of kindness center the most enormous acts of love. This is a remarkable novel of human beings fully being—where what we do to each other sits side by side with what we do for each other.”—Sarah Blake, author of The Postmistress

Beautiful and gripping

Beautifully layered narrative which will grip you to the end. Wonderful storytelling with strong female characters who have surprisingly touching and complex relationships with each other. The story unfolds towards a very satisfying ending, and I wanted to read it again the moment I finished.

Sadness

Her confrontation , too easy on the step dad. Sad how some kids are mistreated but that she was so resilient- but I felt that was rare.

Great story - Terrible Narrator

I enjoyed the story behind this book but it was almost ruined by a grating narrator. I don't mind a raspy voice sometimes, but after a few hours of listening to it, it becomes unpleasant. This was especially true of the children's voices. They were so irritating and whiny I found it hard to like the kids. And they seemed like nice kids.

Aside from that, it was a sensitive treatment of a woman's difficult life and complicated emotional relationships.

Love prevailing in a challenging life.

This story shows the reader how we humans and our families are complicated and complex. But also how challenging and difficult a humans journey can be. It tells the story of a young woman, Tessa, who goes through many unspeakable events in her life but she continues to be a fierce fighter. In the end she becomes the mother she wanted herself. There are many great characters brought to life by the author Rachel Stark. I can see this book as a great and heartfelt movie that brings the audience to realizations of their own life experiences and families.

Sat in my car for an hour, just to finish the book.

Really great story! Some hard parts to get through, but that is life. The characters are very relatable. Lots of variety in this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Gripping Story!

This book was alternately heart wrenching and uplifting and will bring you to tears one moment and have you laughing out loud the next. It follows a young woman and her family as they all struggle with the events of their lives both present and past and how they all fit together both as individuals and together. It gave me vibes of Hillbilly Elegy, as the struggles of poverty are present but it was the people that stole my breath with how they dealt with their problems. These characters will be living in my brain for a while I am sure! Alex McKenna knocked it out of the park with this narration! Her voice completely brought these characters to life for me! I will definitely be looking for more books by Rachel Stark and books narrated by Alex McKenna!
So Freaking Good!

Beautifully written

This book is wonderful. It’s heartbreaking but also so lovely. I loved everything about this book.

Get ready to cry!

This book will tear at your heart! I could not stop listening to it. It’s raw and well written and told. I highly recommend it!!

Authentic, heartbreak, redemption

5 stars for Perris, California. This book was highly recommended by a podcaster I follow who felt it deserved some attention. I agree wholeheartedly. With such a strong recommendation I went into Perris completely blind and wasn't quite sure what to expect. It's really the story of one woman, Tessa, and the crap hand of cards that were dealt to her as a young girl and her own strength and spirit and survival into womanhood. It's not a plot heavy read, although the book opens with an explosive scene and sucks you in immediately and makes you want to know what happens with this woman. I loved Tessa. She is about as authentic a character as you are ever going to get in fiction. Her raw honesty and commitment to her truth really cannot be championed enough. The author, Rachel Stark, gets high praise for writing a character who is just so beautifully transparent in all of her imperfect quandaries ~ she's not sure she wants another baby even though her husband is over the moon; she may have to choose revenge over doing what's right and lose everything; she never got over her first love and freely admits she doesn't think she will love anyone else in that way. And, the relationships in this story are so thoughtfully developed, too. In particular, the relationship with her mother in law, Angie, is SO deftly drawn. Stark portrayed the complicated, messy, beautiful, fragile and equally stone solid relationship between mother and daughter in law with such acute tenderness I could personally feel the boundaries being crossed, the tension, the angst - all of the feels. And, ALL of the characters in this book are handled with love and care. This book is almost immediately immersive and reads like you know these people. I always say, when you feel like you miss a character once the book has ended- the author has done a good job. I will mention, there are a few brutally tough scenes you have to get through and I was anxious going into those even though I have no history of trauma personally. So, be aware of your triggers. I was prepared to skip if I needed to but never found I had to. I would recommend this book to just about anyone because it is just so good. But in particular if you want to read a story with a strong female protagonist who survives a traumatic past and is able to love and rebuild - this is your book. I think it is also for readers who appreciate found family stories and dysfunctional family drama - both on small scale and grand scale. I personally did not care for the narrator. I hate criticizing someone's voice but it was way too gravelly for me. Sort of sounded like she was getting over a cold or had smoker's cough. But the book was incredible.